NRMC spent $1.5 million on a new cardiac catheterization lab and $1.5 million more to expand and renovate the cardiac services unit.

The new lab provides a higher level of accessibility and convenience for doctors making a diagnosis of heart problems. A new Phillips FD 20 is used to obtain images of the heart and locate blockages. It was a step forward for NRMC.

“It’s incredible,” said Scott Baker, RN. “This is the gold standard.”

Taking control

In July, NRCM CEO Eric Barber said the hospital was taking another step toward giving residents “every excuse we can to stay local” by opening the Northeast Regional Heart Center.

For the first time, the local hospital would employ two full-time cardiologists and offer 24-hour coverage for matters of the heart in Kirksville.

“Being able to get the cardiac care when patients present with chest pain at 2 in the morning is something I see as a vital service we should be providing to this community,” Barber said.

The doctors are in

Northeast Regional welcomed Dr. Dana Valencia and Dr. Eliot Nissenbaum with the move. Dr. Nissenbaum is a board certified invasive cardiologist who previously practiced at Skaggs Memorial in Branson, where he was voted top cardiologist in the city multiple times by his peers.

Dr. Valencia is a board certified invasive cardiologist with extensive training in peripheral interventional treatment. He previously practiced at Missouri Baptist and Des Peres Hospital in St. Louis and was a physician with the U.S. Army Reserve and U.S. Army Medical Corp.